concert Archives - Viviana Guzman, International Flutist

Recital in Tokyo, Japan

December 1, 2014 By Viviana Guzman

Tokyo, Japan
Immediately after landing in Tokyo, pianist Mahani Teave and I were met by the Chilean Embassy in Japan, Patricio Becker at the airport. He hospitably greeted us and took us to our hotel, The Tokyo Prince Hotel. Even though we had traveled many time zones, time traveled days ahead, spent hours on planes, we immediately went to rehearse in a nearby rehearsal studio near the hotel for hours until closing time. We found that The Tokyo Prince Hotel was very strict about (not) practicing in the hotel. And this rehearsal space cost $25 the hour! I have never had to PAY to practice. That was a first indeed. Since Mahani and I had not seen each other since our last concert tour a year before, we had a lot of work to put together our recital which was to take place in 5 days time.

We practiced diligently hours every day, rehearsing separately and then together. And so our days were filled with this one goal in mind. The concert took place at the Sogetsu Hall and was attended by many Ambassadors and Japanese businessmen, as well as the head of Mitsui, our concert sponsor. Our heartfelt thanks go out to these corporate sponsors as well as to the Embassy of Chile in Japan without whose help, our tour would not have been possible. Many thanks also go out to the Tokyo College of Music who allowed us to practice an entire day in their facility free of charge.

While otherwise a nice place to stay, I would not recommend the Tokyo Prince Hotel for a musician. The management did not support any sort of practice. Period. I managed to sneak in 10 minutes here and there before someone would come tell me to stop playing. The most ironic thing ever was after I had found a lounge to practice in, and the “security” came to tell me to stop practicing, I noticed that as I walked out of the lounge and into the lobby, I could hear flute music being piped in blasting through all the speakers!

The only thing I did like about the Tokyo Prince Hotel was it’s location. We were able to visit the Tokyo Tower which was 2 blocks away as well as a beautiful Buddhist Temple which was right next door. I participated in my first ever Buddhist Mass which became the highlight of my stay in Tokyo this time. This was an unexpected treat, as I had just gone exploring on my final day in Tokyo. As I sat down to admire the temple, the ceremony started. I enjoyed every minute of it, from the incense, to the drumming, chanting and meditating. I was in bliss!

It was a since pleasure to see again the Ambassador of Chile to Japan, Patricio Torres and his lovely wife, Cecilia. They invited us to their Residence for a wonderful meal where we met the Ambassador of Japan to Chile, Naoto Nikai and his lovely wife.

In addition, elegant Keiko-san was our thoughtful guide for several of our events during our stay in Tokyo. It was a pleasure to visit with her again.

Tokyo is always a pleasure to visit with it’s gracious, hardworking and respectful people, beautiful temples, and hospitable friends. What I love most about traveling is the exchanges with people. In this case, since it had been our second tour of Japan, it was amazing to see everybody from the Embassy of Chile in Japan again. They had once again provided us with utmost hospitality, gracious kindness. Arigato!! Gracias!!

Viviana Guzman & Mahani Teave Recital Poster in Tokyo 2014

Viviana Guzman & Mahani Teave in Tokyo, Japan

Visiting the Tokyo Tower

Temple in Tokyo

Filed Under: Blog Tagged With: concert, Japan tower, mahani teave, recital, tokyo, tokyo prince hotel

Seoul, Korea

January 8, 2013 By Viviana Guzman

We were so sad to leave Tokyo but were so happy to be received once again in the Residence of the Ambassador of Chile in Seoul. Mr. Ricardo came to pick us up and took us out for a snack before we started our rehearsal in town. In Seoul, we only stayed a mere 2 days. So we flew in, rehearsed. Next day, rehearsed, played concert. And we were out by the third morning, early. In Seoul we performed at the Korea Foundation to a sold out house. The performance was filmed and you can view it here:

Filed Under: Blog Tagged With: ambassador of Chile, concert, foundation, korea, mahani teave, recital, seoul, Viviana Guzman

Jakarta, Indonesia

January 3, 2013 By Viviana Guzman

After making so many wonderful friends in Singapore, it was hard to leave at 4am on our flight to Jakarta. But soon enough, we were to encounter the beauty that is Jakarta and especially it’s people.

Francisco came to pick us up in Jakarta. I had first met him in Jamaica and was surprised and thrilled to see him again. We performed at the Usmail Performing Arts Center where people like the Assad Brothers had visited before us. We were thrilled with the acoustics of the concert hall. Our Masterclass was presented at the Jakarta Conservatory of Music which is a modest and extremely warm and friendly place. Meta was my host and she did a lovely job of setting up around 10 students to perform for me. They even gifted us to a scrumptious lunch of Indonesian delights. It was quite a feast and it gave us a chance to mingle a bit more with our students. The whole exchange was a delight. We finished off our busy day of teaching with a grand massage at the local salon before returning to our oh so luxurious Hotel Melia. Heaven!

Viviana Guzman Altus Flutes Masterclass in Jakarta, Indonesia

Filed Under: Blog Tagged With: concert, indonesia, jakarta, recital

Singapore

January 3, 2013 By Viviana Guzman

At 5am the next morning, we were sad to leave Kuala Lumpur. Actually, we really hated leaving every place as it was simply too short for us to stop for only 3 to 4 days in each location. In Singapore we were greeted by Macarena and Mr. Philip the driver. They generously presented us with lovely tours of the city and made sure we were well fed. Singapore is a very safe place established by Lee Kuan Yew in 1965. Singapore used to be part of Malaysia, but it seceded and became it’s own independent nation state. It is VERY impressive what Singapore has become. In only 30 years, Singapore established itself as one of the top ranking nations in Asia as well as in the world with a very high standard of living. The streets are safe and very clean (chewing gum is not allowed by law, for example).

I remember on a previous visit to Singapore I left my hand carry luggage in the lobby of my hotel. I left for the airport and just before arriving at the airport I realized that I didn’t have my hand carry luggage. I panicked!!! Of course, after living in New York city for so many years, where if this had happened there, I would have lost my flute, my computer, my everything. But because I was in this magnificent country that is Singapore, when I arrived back at the hotel, my hand carry luggage was still sitting there right where I had left it 2 hours prior. AMAZING!!!!!

We stayed at the Ambassador of Chile in Singapore’s Residence. He and his staff were amazingly hospitable and generous with their time, taking time out of their own day to take us sightseeing and driving us around the city. I presented a Masterclass and met some wonderful new friends, Dorin, Mark, Teg and Meri with whom we shared a lovely dinner afterwards. Our rehearsals where at the Esplanade overlooking the marvelous Ship Building. Our concert was at the historic Raffles Hotel which is famous for it’s Singapore Slings. And my Flute Masterclass was sponsored by Altus Flutes and hosted by Teg. After the informal class, we all went out for a delicious dinner. After the concert, each one of my students presented me with wonderful gifts and flowers. Singaporians are so generous and hospitable!

Singapore Program

: Singapore Program

Filed Under: Blog Tagged With: concert, lee kuan yew, raffles hotel, recital, singapore

Recital in Thailand, My 119th Country to Visit & Perform

December 14, 2011 By Viviana Guzman

Viviana with tuk-tuk

I’m proud to announce that Thailand was the 119th country that I have performed in. I had such an INCREDIBLE time in Bangkok. WOW!!! What an amazing city! I was so well received and taken care by Mr. Mongkol who graciously picked me up at the airport with his lovely wife, Dao. He had me staying in an amazing 5 star hotel that had an ice bar downstairs… in the middle of Bangkok! I was honored to be invited and to attend a very special dinner hosted by the Ambassador of Chile to Thailand, Javier Becker. He and the Deputy Head of Mission, Gabriel Jara came to my concert, too. It is as a result of meeting these two gentlemen that there is talk of a possible Grand Asian Tour 2012 sponsored by the Government of Chile. I will keep you posted as details evolve.

From the river

I was there during the flooding which was sadly affecting the suburbs of Bangkok. One evening while driving back from a rehearsal with my pianist, I saw waters that would have come just below my knee had I been walking. I was in a car and praying that the car would not stall. I took a small ferry to go see the Grand Palace where again, I saw a lot of the affected areas. As usual, it was mainly the lower income houses that were falling into the river. The high rise buildings and majestic hotels seemed untouched by the rising waters.

Flooding in Bangkok

The Bangkok Post gave me a nice write-up. I presented a masterclass and played a concert with pianist Sun Hee Kim at the Goethe Institute that was sponsored in part by Altus Flutes both of which were fruitful. But most of all, I have to admit, were the $10 massages that I was treating myself to every day. I highly recommend a nail, pedicure and one of those famous Thai massages at Burberri Hair and Nail Salon in Silom near the Holiday Inn. In fact, my last day in Bangkok I got 4 hours of treatments there. I was in heaven!